名校励志英语演讲 19:失败的额外收益和想象力的重要性

 　　The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.

　　经历了挫折，你变得更加智慧，更加坚强，这意味着你有独立生存的能力。只有经过了逆境的考验，你才能真正了解自己，才能真正知道周围的人所赋予你的力量。这种认识是真正的财富，虽然历经千辛万苦，但这比我以前获得的任何资格证书都有价值。

　　So given a Time Turner, I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility¹ to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes³.

　　如果我有一台时光转换器，我会告诉21岁的自己，一个人的幸福在于知道人生不只是一份只有收获和成就的表单。资格证书和个人简历不是你们的生活，虽然你们将会遇到很多与我同龄或年龄比我大的人将二者混为一谈，生活艰辛而复杂，是任何人都无法完全掌控 的。谦恭地了解了这一点，你才能从容面对人生的变迁。

　　You might think I chose my second theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so. Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp⁴, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.

　　至于为什么选择第二个主题——想象力的重要性，你们可能会认为是因为它对我重建生活所起的作用，但事实并非完全如此。虽然我坚持睡前故事对孩子的想象力有很大的价值，但我学会了在更广泛的意义上去理解想象力。想象力不仅仅是人类特有的设想不存在的事物的能力，还是所有发明和创新的源泉。毋庸置疑，想象力是最富转换性和启发性的力量，这种力量能使我们与有着不同经历的人们产生共鸣。

　　attain⁵

　　vt. 达到，获得

　　eg. Whenever you have an aim you must sacrifice something of freedom to attain it.

　　无论何时，只要有目标，你就要牺牲一定的自由以达到它。

　　ruby⁶

　　n. 红宝石

　　eg. She reset⁷ a ruby in her necklace.

　　她在她的项链上重新镶上一块红宝石。

　　adversity

　　n. 逆境，不幸

　　eg. Adversity makes a man wise, not rich.

　　逆境不使人富裕，可使人聪明。

　　qualification

　　n. 资格证书

　　eg. She passed her qualification for the Olympic gymnastic competition.

　　她获得了奥林匹克体操比赛的资格。

　　acquisition

　　n. 获得

　　eg. In fact you could consider the nurturing⁸ of this awareness⁹ as fundamental to skills acquisition.

　　事实上你可以把这种对认知的培养作为获得技能的基本法则。

　　vicissitude²

　　n. 变迁；盛衰

　　eg. So great a vicissitude in his life could not at once be received as real.

　　他的生活中发生了如此巨大的变迁，他一时还无法相信是真的。

　　gasp

　　n. 喘气

　　eg. After running such a long way, the messenger was gasping¹⁰ for breath.

　　传令兵在跑了这么长一段路后，直喘粗气。

　　envision

　　vt. 想象；预想

　　eg. With God's help, we envision a bright and prosperous future for the nation we love.

　　藉著上帝的恩助，为我们心爱的家园，我们展望我们的国家朝向一个光明的前途和兴盛的未来。

　　innovation

　　n. 创新

　　eg. Continuous innovation is also necessary for success.

　　不断的技术革新也是成功的必要条件。

　　transformative

　　adj. 变化的，起改造作用的

　　eg. It could be a transformative deal whose full implications will take years to emerge.

　　然而，这会是一笔不易把握的交易，它的全部含意要几年后才能显露出来。

　　revelatory

　　adj. 启示的

　　eg. These are platitudes¹¹, but the effect on the spot is revelatory.

　　有些文字纯属陈词滥调，但置身当场却能给人以启示。

　　empathize

　　vi. 神会，表同情

　　eg. His ability to empathize with people made him an excellent marriage counsellor.

　　他与人能引发心灵上的共鸣使他成为一名优秀的婚姻问题咨询指导。

1 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

2 vicissitude   

n.变化，变迁，荣枯，盛衰

参考例句：

• It is indeed a strange vicissitude of our science.这确实是我们科学的一个奇怪变迁。
• The future is so uncertain that we cannot know all the vicissitude of our fortunes.未来是无法确定的，我们无法知道将来命运所有的变化。

3 vicissitudes   

n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废

参考例句：

• He experienced several great social vicissitudes in his life. 他一生中经历了几次大的社会变迁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. 饱经沧桑，不易沮丧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

5 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

6 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

7 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

8 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

11 platitudes   

n.平常的话，老生常谈，陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 )；滥套子

参考例句：

• He was mouthing the usual platitudes about the need for more compassion. 他言不由衷地说了些需要更加同情之类的陈腔滥调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He delivered a long prose full of platitudes. 他发表了一篇充满陈词滥调的文章。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》